This invention relates to methods for the assembly of laminate panels, to laminates capable of supporting loads and to glass assemblies incorporating such laminates.
Laminated panels, in particular glass laminated panels comprising at least two glass plies joined together by a bonding layer which may be a thermoplastic layer, most commonly polyvinylbutyral (hereinafter for convenience PVB) may be joined together or attached to a supporting structure to form a variety of glass assemblies such as a glass façade. One difficulty which arises in forming such assemblies is that jointing techniques which place a load on the laminate are not ideal. One example is those assemblies which utilise clamping plates joined together by bolts passing through a bore in the laminate. In order to form an assembly comprising such a laminate a force of up to ten tonnes may be applied across the laminate. When the clamp is tightened the bonding layer creeps under the load which detracts from the appearance of the laminate and which may have detrimental consequences.
One type of solution to this problem is described in German patent DE 19812814 and International Patent Application WO 02/38902. In both instances a fixing assembly is positioned in a bore passing through the laminate and fixed in position using a casting resin. This solution is difficult to put into practice and is not entirely effective. There remains a need for a simpler method of joining a laminate to an adjacent structure.